Hurricane Katrina: What Can You Do Now?
I am a refugee from New Orleans, safe with my family in Nashville,
Tennessee. As near as I can tell, we have suffered only minimal
property damage due to the Hurricane Katrina. I have been blogging the
hurricane at the sites mentioned in a previous posts. Online
communicators have helped provide the minutia of block-by-block
reporting, ferrying information from those who rode it out to those who
evacuated. We are ferrying messages of dire emergencies and we are
getting aid for people who need it. If you can bear the heartbreak, you
can follow some of these threads at the news blogs shown previously.
Everyone is asking, “What can we do to help?” New Orleans needs two
things right now: WATER and POLICE. If you are employed by a beverage
manufacturer or bottler or distributor, you should lead with your brand
*immediately* and get water airlifted to the overpasses of New Orleans
no matter what it takes. If you are a CEO of Coke or Pepsi or Budweiser
– or you know someone who knows the CEO — please get the corporate
jet fired up and drop pallets of bottled water onto New Orleans.
Without this water NOW thousands will die. I realize this is asking for
something beyond reason, but if you are in PR with a beverage company I
implore you to insist on immediately transporting water to New Orleans
by whatever means necessary.
Houston has agreed to house our refugees. Dallas has agreed to educate
our children. San Antonio has opened its gates and hearts to 25,000
displaced. Your city, your state, needs to step up, too. If you are in
government relations, help your largest employers to coordinate giving.
These people will need clothes (JC Penney, Levi-Strauss, Nordstrom?),
they will need automobiles (Avis, Enterprise, Ford, Toyota?), they will
need gasoline (many of the dead in Mississippi and New Orleans could
not afford to buy gas to get out because the hurricane hit at the end
of the month). Prepaid cards are wonderful aid for individuals;
donations to the Red Cross are wonderful in aid for all of us; and
finding a way to get water into New Orleans NOW would be the most
marvelous, life-saving gift of all.
From Nashville, Tennessee,
STEVE O'KEEFE
Vice President, IAOC
New Orleans Refugee
Today I sent e-mail to the cheif executive officers and heads of corporate communications for The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and the International Bottled Water Association pleading with them to drop water onto the overpasses of New Orleans' freeways NOW. I will continue these efforts until I see television coverage of water reaching these people.
STEVE O'KEEFE
FROM STEVE O'KEEFE: Today I received the following response to my inquiry of the International Bottled Water Association about their efforts to get water to the stranded people of New Orleans:
September 1, 2005
Gentleman,
The bottled water industry, IBWA members and non, have been hard at work since the first hurricane alerts and have trucks either on site or heading to the region with millions and millions of servings of bottled water. Not for heroics but [because] it is the right thing to do and a key facet of what our industry does for citizens here in the US and around the world.
It goes without saying that the industry undertakes these measures without prompting and is doing everything in our power to get this donated product to where it is needed. At this point, we, and other industries who supply relief and recovery supplies are finding that federal and state agencies cannot give specific information as to where deliveries should be taken, who to contact, etc. Nonetheless, bottler water companies have been, and continue to be aggressive in our efforts to get drinking water to communities in need. In some case, in the face of risk to their safety and security as hold-ups and robberies are widespread.
So thank you for your interest and know that we are doing everything in our power.
Stephen R. Kay
Vice President, Communications
International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)
1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 650
Alexandria, VA 22314-2864
phone: 703-683-5213
fax: 703-683-4074
e-mail: skay@bottledwater.org
web: http://www.bottledwater.org
Pepsi's Response:
Dear Steve,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at PepsiCo.
We are all aware of the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane
Katrina, however, the full extent of this disaster is still being
assessed. In the meantime, PepsiCo and its divisions (Pepsi-Cola Company,
Frito-Lay, and Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade) are working with disaster
relief organizations such as America's Second Harvest and the American Red
Cross to provide emergency food and beverages to those in need.
The PepsiCo foundation is assessing possibilities for financial support to
help in the broader relief effort.
We appreciate your interest and we want you to know that PepsiCo will
continue to monitor developments and provide relief where it is most
needed.
If you would like to assist in the relief effort, we suggest you contact
the American Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org or call your local chapter
directly.
Suzanne Gooley
Consumer Relations Representative
consumerrelations@cr.pepsi.com
MY RESPONSE TO PEPSI:
Your disaster relief efforts are simply not good enough. Your company needs to do whatever it can TODAY to airlift water (or Gatorade) onto the freeway overpasses of New Orleans. It is not that dangerous. It will save hundreds of lives. Until I see your brand on water on the overpasses of New Orleans, you have not done enough. You have aircraft. You have water. Do something heroic NOW, please.
COCA-COLA's RESPONSE:
Thank you for contacting The Coca-Cola Company. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
As the country is feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina, The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners will donate $5 million to help with the relief efforts. A major portion of these contributions will go to the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army to help throughout the region. We are also offering the donation of water and other product to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). We will continue to work with and assist relief agencies where possible as the full extent of the devastation in these areas becomes known.
Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us again.
Gisele
Industry and Consumer Affairs
The Coca-Cola Company
MY RESPONSE TO COCA-COLA:
This is simply not good enough. Your company needs to do whatever it can TODAY to airlift water onto the freeway overpasses of New Orleans. It is not that dangerous. It will save hundreds of lives. Until I see your brand on water on the overpasses of New Orleans, you have not done enough. You have aircraft. You have water. Do something heroic NOW, please.
BLACK CAUCUS AGREES:
At 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time today, Friday, Sept. 2, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus — from Maryland — didn't catch his name — said EXACTLY what I have been saying here: The water bottlers have a moral responsibility to do everything they can to get water to the freeway overpasses of New Orleans NOW — even if that means private helicopters, planes, or boats used for unsanctioned airdrops. This is truly a matter of life and death. Who will step up?
STEVE O'KEEFE
Vice President, IAOC
New Orleans Refugee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 2, 2005
BOTTLED WATER INDUSTRY PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO HURRICANE STRICKEN REGION Millions of Bottles Donated to Hurricane Katrina Victims
Statement of International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) President Joseph K. Doss:
“The bottled water industry has been hard at work since the first Hurricane Katrina alerts were issued to provide assistance to those in need. Many IBWA members have depleted existing inventories and are now bottling water around the clock to help meet the demand for clean, safe drinking water. They have trucks either on-site or heading to the region with millions and millions of bottled water servings in 16-ounce, 2.5 gallon and five gallon sizes.
“The bottled water industry is proud to assist in providing needed drinking water relief to affected areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We in a unique position of manufacturing a product necessary for human survival; and we are doing everything in our power to get donated bottled water to where it is needed most.
“At this point, we and other industries who supply relief and recovery supplies are finding that federal and state agencies cannot give specific information as to where bottled water and items should be delivered, who to contact, etc. IBWA has raised this issue directly with an official at the Department of Homeland Security, who acknowledged that there are logistical problems and assured us that steps would be taken to correct this situation. Bottled water industry transports are faced with the same challenges of damaged infrastructure and limited access to affected areas as others involved in relief efforts.
“Bottled water companies have been, and continue to be, aggressive in our efforts to get bottled water to communities in need. In case after case, bottled water deliveries are being coordinated by IBWA members and staff directly with local officials and citizens in affected areas, circumventing challenges encountered by the bottled water industry when working through formal channels.
“Members of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) are reporting that more than four million (4,000,000) containers of bottled water are either en route or arrived at the devastated region. With supply efforts certain to continue into the foreseeable future, the bottled water industry without question-without hesitation-is proud to do our part to relieve the suffering of our fellow Americans.”
# # #
UPDATE ON WATER:
CNN is reporting eyewitness report of trucks loaded with water on the West Bank of the Crescent City Connection bridge. They are awaiting military escort into the Convention Center and Superdome. Still, I will believe it when I see the water being handed out, but it appears that aid is just yards away now.
STEVE O'KEEFE
I am pleased to report that at 2:00 p.m. Central Time today National Guard troops escorted truckloads of bottled water into the Convention Center area of New Orleans. The National Guard is the first sign of any real police presence in five days. Order has quickly been restored.
The water being distributed appears to carry several different logos. As indicated by the International Bottled Water Association, they did indeed get the water close to where it was needed. The fact that it took days to get the water those last few miles reflects a total breakdown in emergency management leadership.
Thanks to all those who got water to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. You have saved thousands of lives and unimaginable misery.
COCA-COLA's NEWS RELEASE (Note the date)
SYSTEM PLEDGES $5 MILLION IN HURRICANE KATRINA AID
[Friday], September 2, 2005
Bottling facilities closed, hundreds of system employees displaced in Gulf States region
The Coca-Cola Company, The Coca-Cola Foundation and its bottling partners will donate $5 million to support the relief and rescue efforts in communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The money will be divided among the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the Coca-Cola System Hurricane Katrina Employee Relief Fund, which will assist displaced system employees.
The Coca-Cola system has donated hundreds of thousands of cases of bottled water and other beverages to relief agencies for distribution in the affected areas.
The extent of Katrina
PEPSICO's NEWS RELEASE (Undated, but uploaded since Friday, Sept. 2)
PepsiCo Response to Hurricane Katrina
Even before the wind and water had died down, PepsiCo and its divisions had begun community relief actions. These include:
* The PepsiCo Foundation has committed $2 million: $1 million for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which has launched the largest mobilization of resources in its history for a single natural disaster, and $1 million for the Salvation Army.
* These funds are an addition to The PepsiCo Foundation
MORE FROM COCA-COLA:
Subject: Coca Cola need to help New Orleans NOW
Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 16:49:02 -0400
I'm sorry to take so long to get back to you, but our system has been focused the last couple of days on hurricane relief efforts. The Coca-Cola Company, The Coca-Cola Foundation and Coca-Cola Bottlers across the U.S. are donating $5 million to support the relief and rescue efforts in communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The money will be divided among the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the Coca-Cola System Hurricane Katrina Employee Relief Fund, which will assist displaced system employees.
In addition to the $5 million donation, the Company and its bottlers have plants running continually to produce water and other beverages for donation to the relief efforts across the south. Water and product donations to date total hundreds of thousands of cases.
Feel free to call if you have additional questions.
Ray Crockett
Coca-Cola North America Public Relations
[STEVE: Reports arrived today -- September 5 -- that the gulf coast relief efforts now have all the water they need getting through. Thank you Coke! Pepsi! IBWA!]
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